Time is Running Out

I feel an urgency to warn that some are in danger of falling behind. Right now, God is calling us to prepare for the days ahead. There are specific tasks and things he has for each of us to do to be prepared. But some are putting it off and there’s a warning going out now that preparation cannot be delayed much longer. If you continue to delay, you will be in danger of running out of time to make all the arrangements before the crisis hits.

You are called to be a LEADER in the days ahead.

The reason this warning is so urgent is that many of you are called to be LEADERS in the days ahead. You may not realize it. You may not feel like a leader, but God has chosen you for leadership. Your actions now will impact not just you or your family, but countless, countless people.

So, for the sake of those whose lives you will impact in the future, don’t delay your preparations any longer. We will continue to discuss some financial preparations in the coming posts.

Where is a "Safe Place" For Assets?

When God was about to destroy the evil economic system that was holding his people in bondage a few thousand years ago, he warned everyone that the judgment was coming. In fact, he told everyone to move their vulnerable assets to a “safe place” (Exodus 9:19). Those who feared God rearranged their assets and were spared. Those who didn’t take the warning seriously, left their possessions as they were—and lost just about everything they didn’t move (Exodus 9:20-21, 25).

Where is a "safe place" for assets?
Image by Sujin Jetkasettakorn

A similar divine warning is being sent out now that the economy as we know it is about to collapse. If the dollar, the stock market, bond market, and even the federal budget is about to fail, where is the “safe place” (Exodus 9:19) that we can move our assets to avoid much of the coming collapse?

Precious Metals

The attraction of gold and silver is in their supply and demand. Their supply is much more stable than that of printed money since a central bank cannot print more of it. And every major culture in the world values gold, providing a worldwide demand. Since the value of an asset is set by supply and demand, an asset like gold that carries a fairly set supply and a worldwide demand becomes attractive when the currencies and economies of many countries are poised to fail.

Is there anything inherently wonderful about gold? Obviously not. But as a place to park assets before a financial collapse, it is quite appealing.

Other safe havens may exist. Anything that a central bank cannot print more of—real estate, basic necessities, and the like—is likely to be more stable during an economic collapse than assets measured in currency, many experts are advising.

In the coming weeks, we’ll dig into the expert’s thoughts about when, how, and how to invest in precious metals and other “safe places.”

This blog is only for the purpose of giving general information and is not intended to offer personal financial advice. Nothing in these pages shall be construed as offering or disseminating specific financial, retirement, estate, asset protection, tax, or legal advice. If you require any type of specific advice, please consult an attorney, qualified tax professional or certified financial planner. You should not rely on any information contained herein to plan your estate or invest any of your assets. This blog makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the products mentioned here. Opinions and forward-looking statements expressed are subject to change without notice. This information does not constitute investment advice and is not intended as an endorsement of any specific investment. The information contained herein is general in nature and is provided solely for educational and informational purposes.  As with any investment, past performance is no guarantee of future performance.           

 

Upcoming Conference

I’ll be speaking at Eden Hope Academy’s conference in Fairfax, VA June 17-19, 2013. My talks are entitled “Vision for Our Children’s Education: How to Capture and Live God’s Dream.” The principles we’ll discuss about vision can be applied much more broadly than education. Other speakers will focus on a wide variety of educational topics. A camp for children will be held at the same time. All are welcome to attend the conference.

Details and registration information can be found at Eden Hope Academy's website.

Provision for Lean Years

Just as an ancient Pharaoh was warned that the world was heading into some financially lean years, there is a warning sounding now that the world economy is heading for what could be years of “leanness.” Why does God issue warnings about the economy? So we can prepare ahead of time—and lessen the impact of the difficult times.

Your Actions Matter

Genesis 41 records how a seven-year famine struck the ancient world. It was no random turn of events, though. Several years before the famine hit, God warned about its coming. In fact, you could say God permitted this famine to hit because it was the best way for him to accomplish his purposes. Even though God permitted or planned the famine, He also determined to spare as many people as possible from its worst impact—starvation.

The lean years are approaching.
Image by Jomphong

How did God accomplish his plan to send a famine (to accomplish a higher purpose) but save people from starvation? His answer was a single individual.

Joseph alone understood the meaning of the Pharaoh’s dream warning that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of absolute desolation economically. Joseph then suggested that assets be rearranged—in this case extra grain from the boom years be saved—so that provision would be available during the lean years.

God is just as determined today to permit an economic collapse to occur (we’ve discussed why in earlier posts), while sparing as many people as possible from its worst impacts. As in Joseph’s day, God’s provision for the lean years ahead is not to drop bread from heaven, but to work though his people.

Just like Joseph, though, we must act now to prepare for the crisis ahead. If Joseph had waited for the downturn to begin, it would have been too late.

The Modern Joseph

Who will be God’s supernatural provision during the coming economic crisis? Who will be the Joseph to our generation? The answer is . . . You! God is calling you to be his provision for people in the lean years ahead. If you rearrange some of your assets now—so that you can preserve and even grow the money God’s entrusted to you—then, during the lean years, you will be able to start businesses, give to the poor, and extend services to people.

What you do now matters. You can literally save lives in the future by acting wisely with your finances now.

The next series we’re about to start about how to rearrange assets is very crucial because God is calling many of you to be his provision in the years ahead. Listen carefully to what God is saying to you because, like Joseph, many, many lives may depend on your actions.

Preserving Money without Loving It

Jesus once said, “Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat and drink” (Matthew 6:25). If you put God’s kingdom first, he explained, “all these things”—your food and drink and clothing—will be provided to you (Matthew 6:33). If God will take care of us, why should we bother to prepare our finances? Isn’t it better just to trust God to meet our needs?

The problem with this reasoning lies in something else Jesus said. “If then you haven’t been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will entrust you with the true riches? And if you haven’t been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you your own?” (Luke 16:11-12).

Knowing When

It's time to preserve money.
Don't press the snooze button.
Image by Stuart Miles

There is a time when we will need to not worry about our “wordly wealth”—even give it up—and trust God to provide for us. There is also a time when we need to act shrewdly with our money, preserve it, grow it, and then use it for God’s purposes. We must know what time it is in order to know which we should do.

Sounding the Alarm

I’ve never been one of those people who sets an alarm on their wristwatch to tell themselves that it’s time to do something. I’ve never done it mostly because I’ve never figured out how to do it. But those alarms are helpful because they let you know not only what time it is, but what you’re supposed to do at that moment.

If my watch’s alarm were set, it would be going off now. Right now. To tell me that it is the time to preserve God’s money that he’s put in my care. Time to rearrange it so it will not suffer as greatly in an economic slump.

Now is the time to act shrewdly with our finances. Not because we love them, but because we love the one who owns them. God is lending us some of his resources. He wants us, right now, to preserve them—to prepare his money for some rough times. If we act wisely with His money now, he will entrust us with true riches later.

Provision in the Days Ahead

God’s main provision in the economic slump ahead is you. And me, and a bunch of others. His main provision in the days ahead will be the resources he set aside—through his people acting shrewdly with the wealth he’s entrusted to us. God is storing up resources for the economis slump—through us. He is calling us now to preserve money, not because we love it, but because we love him.

In the weeks ahead, we’ll discuss some strategies for heading God’s call.

The Future of the U.S. Economy

Unless we change direction, we are headed towards
financial crash.

No one except God knows precisely what the future will hold. Yet there’s truth in the old saying “If you don’t change direction, you may end up where you’re heading.” More and more Americans—from economic experts to Christian ministries—are sounding the alarm that the economy is heading toward failure. Unless a major change is made to the direction of the economy (including the national debt), the American economy is heading towards a true financial cliff. 

Is there enough time to change course? God, who, after all, crafted and operates the entire universe, is certainly capable of raising up leadership (or supernaturally orchestrating events) to avoid or mitigate a financial collapse. Let us pray that the events will be much less severe than what many economists are predicting.

But, we have crossed, or are very close to crossing, the point where a financial disaster is inevitable. As one Christian ministry summed up this week: “We should not give up on the possibility of being spared [a financial crash], but at present we’re not changing our direction, and we’re speeding up as we get closer to the cliff. Only the most blind or foolish are not earnestly preparing for the crash.”

Whatever the future will hold, we would be foolish not to prepare for where we are heading. In the coming weeks, we’ll discuss how to rearrange financial assets to lessen the impact of a currency or economic collapse in this country.

Preparing for Life-Changer #8: Fall of the Dollar

One of the most important money-snatchers in the years ahead will be the falling dollar. Both inflation and the drop in the demand for dollars (as their supply is rising) will drag down the value of the dollar in relation to other currencies. In our series on How to Exit the Old Economy (the system that is about to fail) and How to Enter the New Economy (God’s financial kingdom), we consider the fall of the dollar.

How to Exit the Old Economy: The King Has Left the Building

In a previous post, we discussed why, economically speaking, the dollar is likely to fall

Falling dollars hurt all assets held in dollars.
Image by africa

in value. The warnings about a falling dollar come from more than economists, however. At least one well-known Christian ministry is cautioning that the dollar could fall to be practically worthless for a period of time. The world in which the dollar is King will likely end sooner than we think.

Why Falling Dollars Hurt

When the dollar loses value in relation to other currencies, it means all of our assets held in dollars decline in value, too. Savings accounts, 401(k)s, even inflation-protected investments are defenseless against a falling dollar. If the dollar falls far enough, all our savings held in dollars could be virtually wiped out.

What to Do

If you believed a certain asset may lose much of its value, what would you do? You’d diversify. You wouldn’t hold all your savings, investments, and retirement hopes in that asset.

Many experts are urging investors to diversity. Few are suggesting the purchase of other nations’ currencies (like the Euro or the Yen), but many are advising that precious metals (like gold and silver) are a good way to hedge against the potential of a falling dollar.

Other experts suggest purchasing or investing in real assets—like real estate or companies who produce basic necessities—to protect against the likelihood the dollar will fall. Real assets can fall in value, but should never be worthless.

We’ll talk more about diversifying in the weeks ahead. Remember that this blog provides information, not investment advice. Here’s the disclaimer:

This blog is only for the purpose of giving general information and is not intended to offer personal financial advice. Nothing in these pages shall be construed as offering or disseminating specific financial, retirement, estate, asset protection, tax, or legal advice. If you require any type of specific advice, please consult an attorney, qualified tax professional or certified financial planner. You should not rely on any information contained herein to plan your estate or invest any of your assets.

How to Enter the New Economy: The Value of Wisdom

Our financial security actually has nothing to do with the strength of the dollar or the largess of a bank statement. Nothing that can be measured in dollars and cents is secure—or carries lasting value. Of course, God calls us to be faithful with little things like financial assets—not because they’re important but because they are a training ground or test to see how we would handle true wealth (Luke 16:10-11). So we must take the time to carefully and prayerfully rearrange assets to protect them against things like a falling dollar.

True financial security can be obtained through wisdom. But not a wisdom of this age, but the wisdom of God (2 Corinthians 2:6-7). The wisdom of this age—and there is a lot of it going around—advises how to invest our assets, how to make more money, how to become rich in the things that are passing away. This kind of wisdom cannot even perceive what it truly important in life—much less know how to pursue it.

Wisdom from God, on the other hand, trains us in the “hidden” mysteries of God (2 Corinthians 2:7). It speaks to us “things no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined,” but things “deep” within God’s purposes that he chooses to reveal through his Spirit (2 Corinthians 2:9-10). This kind of wisdom will uncover God’s own resources—hidden from the world, but available to all who seek it through wisdom.

Why does the Bible compare seeking God’s wisdom to searching for silver or treasure (Prov. 2:1-4)? Because those who find God’s wisdom have found something as great as—even greater than—earth’s most precious treasure. True financial security has never been located in physical silver or gold. It has always come from God. Wisdom will take us there—to the place of true security, provision, and peace.